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(No Model.)

G. N. RAYMOND. BUTTONHOLE SEWING MAGHINE.

. Patented Mar. 1'7, 1896,

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

GEORGE N. RAYMOND, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- llALF TOGEORGE .l'i. PERKINS, OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTONHOLE-SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,717, dated March17, 1896.

Application filed October 9, 1894. Serial No. 525,380. (No model.)

To allzuhom it TIMI/y concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE N. RAYMOND, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in aCombined Guide and Separator for Buttonhole-Stitchin g Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in buttonhole-stitching machines;and it consists of certain details of construction to be more fully setforth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in theclaim to follow.

To enable others to understand my said invention, reference is had tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a detachedupper plan view of a throatplate with my improvement attached thereto;and Fig. 2 is an edge view of the throat-plate, looking in the directionof arrow a, Fig. 1, showing the separator and guide in its normalposition, also a broken View of a needle-bar and needle therein. Fig. 3is an edge view of the throat-plate similar to Figs. 1 and 2, showingthe separator and guide depressed. Fig. 4 is an upper plan view of thethroat-plate with a section of a garment overlying the same with thebuttonhol'e embracing the separator preliminary to stitching. Fig. 5shows the stitching operation of one side of the buttonhole completedand the separator and guide depressed. Fig. 6 shows the buttonholereversed and placed in position for stitching the opposite edge. Fig. 7is an enlarged broken plan view of the throat-plate, showing moreclearly the position of the separator and guide with respect tothe'needle-hole. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the springseparator and guide.

Its construction and operation are as follows:

1 represents the throat-plate arranged to be attached to any suitablemachine, but which forms no part of my invention.

2 is the opening for the feedsurface, (not shown 3, the elongatedneedle-hole.

a is a narrow kerf or slot formed through the tongue 5, Figs. 1 and 7,and openinginto the needle-hole 3.

6 (see also Fig. 8) is a spring-plate attached to the throat-plate bythe rivet 7 at its rear end, while its free end is provided with theupturned tongue 8, whose front edge Z) nearest the needle is preferablystraight, while its rear edge 0 is concave or inclined to the frontedge, for the purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

Figs. 4, 5 and (3 will fully explain the operation of my device.

A, Fig. a, represents a section of a garment with a buttonhole cuttherein and laid upon the throat-plate l in readiness for stitching theedges (1 c thereof. The tongue 8 projects through the buttonhole-cut andthe garment is pulled taut in the direction indicated by arrow f, thusbringing the edge of the buttonhole-cut against the front edge I) of thetongue 8. (See also Figs. 2 and S.) This slight strain on the garmentgives the buttonhole longitudinal alignment and centers it true with theneedle. The garment is then fed forward in the direction indicated byarrow g, stitching the edge e, as shown at Fig. 5. The opposite end ofthe buttonhole engaging with the inclined edge 0 of the tongue 8 willdepress the same (see also Fig. and permit such end to be carriedforward and barred by the stitches h. The garment is then turned, asindicated by arrow 2 ,1 1 2 2 5, and the opposite end of the buttonholebrought against the front edge Z) of the tongue 8 and the side (Istitched and such cud barred, as before described.

The tongue 8 separates the raw edges or lips of the Jmttonhole andprevents the ravelings thereof being stitched across and thereby closethe buttonhole, a trouble heretofore of frequent occurence; but by theuse of the tongue as aseparator sueh cannot take place. Theseparator-tongue serves not only as a guide to locate the buttonhole-cutwith respect to the needle, but such tongue project ing through the saidout is readily seen by the operator, and as the garment is fed along thedark point of the tongue will indicate when the opposite end of thebuttonhole is reached. Without a guide of this kind it is difficult forthe operator to see and locate a thin buttonhole-cut, especially inwhite cloth. Therefore, this tongue acting in its capacity as separatorand guide will cause to be produced a buttonhole representing evenstitching, and thus give a neater and more finished appearance thanformerly.

The object of opening the guide slot into the needle-hole is to keep thefront edge of such guide as close to the needle-hole as possible. Ihold, therefore, to set the guide back, so as to form a thin partitionor bridge between the end of the guide-slot and the needlehole but amodification of my construction and not productive of as good results.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a buttonholesewing machine, the combination with the stitch-formingmechanism thereof and a throat-plate having an elongated needle-hole forthe lateral movement of the needle and a narrow slot central with and atright angles to said needle-hole and opening into the same, of abuttonhole-guide and separator comprising a thin tongue normallyprojecting through said narrow slot above the throat-plate, said tonguehaving a spring-base attached to the under side of said throat-plate,one edge of said tongue being situated close to the needle-hole and theopposite edge inclined, so that when the end of the buttonhole isstrained against said inclined edge by the action of the feeddog thetongue will be automatically depressed below the throat-platesufficiently to permit the feeding forward of the fabric to bar the endof the buttonhole, as described and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, this 8th day of October, A. D. 1894.

' GEORGE N. RAYMOND.

Witnesses:

T. L. BARTHOLQMEW, DAVID M. LAOKIE.

